In many ways, Louisiana should be considered a near-perfect place to live. The state boasts affordable land, beautiful and plentiful natural resources, a booming shipping industry, and unparalleled food and culture. Despite all these benefits, Louisiana residents face significant challenges: the state has the highest level of poverty in the nation at 20%, leads in the percentage of 16-to-24-year-olds neither in school nor working, and struggles with a sluggish economy, with only 59% of working-age adults participating in the workforce.
While the Pelican State has created over 50 different programs to support those in need, the organization and delivery of these safety nets often set participants up to fail rather than giving them the support they need. Rather than developing and executing a well-designed, fully integrated system of support to point individuals toward success, participants often find themselves navigating a maze of bureaucracy and red tape.
The Pelican Institute for Public Policy identified the need for a simplified, streamlined approach and conceptualized the “One Door” model—a system that simplifies the dozens of welfare programs created by the state and consolidates them to help users more easily navigate and utilize government support systems. Pelican quickly sprang into action, educating lawmakers and other state leaders on how an integrated welfare system would help Louisianans.
Louisiana’s Comeback Agenda was drafted by the Pelican Institute in the spring of 2023 and included a chapter dedicated to an early iteration of the One Door model, along with several other suggestions to increase the quality of life for Louisiana’s residents. The publication was a hit and led to several speaking opportunities for Pelican staff members at community events across the state to focus attention on the problems and their potential solutions.
It also led to a series of requests by lawmakers for the state legislative auditor to conduct performance audits into how agencies were managing SNAP, TANF, WIOA, and eventually, how all major federally funded workforce and social service programs were (or were not) being effectively delivered to optimize successful outcomes. The resulting audit report identified several opportunities for the state to pursue greater coordination and integration by taking a client-first approach.
These efforts for reform continued into 2024 when Pelican published a comprehensive policy paper fully outlining the flaws of the current support system structure as well as its effect on the state as a whole. Pelican used Utah as a case study, arguing that the state’s recent switch to the One Door model provided users with the best possible outcomes. This included not just those benefiting from government safety-net programs but also those looking for jobs or current workers looking for assistance to improve their circumstances. The paper was unveiled at Pelican’s annual Solutions Summit—an event attended by several policymakers, agency leaders, and the newly elected Governor Landry—which further generated awareness and momentum around the policy model.
Pelican also worked with their fellow colleagues at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Georgia Center for Opportunity as part of their Alliance for Opportunity to draft a comprehensive policy proposal around the One Door model, as well as educational materials to demonstrate the maze of services individuals need to navigate in order to receive support.
In March, their collaboration paid off in a big way when they secured the support of Governor Landry, who issued an executive order that established a task force to begin the process of implementing the One Door initiative. The Louisiana Workforce and Social Services Reform Task Force (LA WASS) began to meet immediately and has already taken steps to find regulatory and legislative solutions to consolidate programs and create cooperation between existing departments.
The creation of the task force marks a significant win for the people of Louisiana. The initiative creates a single-entry point for users to access all necessary programs, which reduces bureaucratic burden and increases the efficiency of aid delivery. Early projections indicate that the new streamlined system significantly increases the percentage of individuals receiving support from 30% to 75%.
Pelican and the Alliance for Opportunity have found an innovative solution to a longstanding problem in Louisiana. The implementation of the One Door policy fosters a more skilled and ready workforce, which will assist in the state’s workforce shortage. Additionally, the streamlined system saves the state millions in administrative costs with the additional benefit of the remaining costs being used more effectively and easily accessible by those that need them the most.
